Ex-mayor announces candidacy

Former five-term Mayor Gus Morrison shook up the mayoral race Wednesday, announcing that he once again will seek Fremont's top job.

Morrison's candidacy, which comes four years after term limits forced him from office, potentially turns November's election into a referendum on the Oakland A's proposed ballpark-village development.

Morrison has been the most vocal critic of the $1.8 billion plan that would bring a baseball stadium, retail shops and up to 3,100 new homes to 226 acres next to the Pacific Commons Shopping Center.

The two other announced candidates, current Mayor Bob Wasserman and Councilmember Steve Cho, both support the plan.

The A's proposal will be a major issue, Morrison said, but it won't be the sole focus of his campaign.

He said the city has become too focused on generating sales tax revenue at the expense of quality of life for residents, and not proactive enough in dealing with crime and continued population growth.

He also criticized the council's handling of a stalled redevelopment project in Centerville and Measure L, the failed 2006 utility tax measure that Morrison said had poisonedfuture tax-increase efforts when the city announced a surprise budget surplus one month after voters rejected the tax.

"I'm just not happy, so I'm going to raise the issues on things I'm not happy about, and see if it strikes a chord," Morrison said.

He backed Wasserman in 2004, and his candidacy complicates

what appeared to be a straightforward path to re-election for the mayor.

Wasserman already has secured endorsements from Fremont's political establishment and has raised more than $25,000 for the campaign.

Also, Wasserman, a centrist Democrat, could have expected strong support from liberal voters in a two-person race against Cho, the council's lone Republican.

Now, the mayor faces a challenge on the left from Morrison, who previously has depended on strong support from left-leaning Democrats and a challenge on the right from Cho, who also is expected to fare well among Chinese-Americans, Fremont's largest ethnic group.

Councilmember Bob Wieckowski, a long-standing Morrison supporter who also is up for re-election, said Morrison's entry into the race won't cause him to withdraw his endorsement of Wasserman. It will, however, keep him from actively campaigning for Wasserman, as he would have done had Cho been his only opponent.

"All I would be doing is hurting myself," he said of stumping hard for Wasserman.

Wasserman wouldn't say much about Morrison's candidacy, but said he was concerned that the A's development plans now will dominate the November election.

"I don't think we need that," he said. "Things have been going very well."

Morrison, 72, spent nearly a quarter-century on the council, including five terms as mayor. He was barred from seeking re-election in 2004 because of a city term-limits rule enacted in 1996 that prohibits lawmakers from serving more than eight consecutive years in the same seat.

California: An economic micro-climate +Predict Little Economic Growth In U.S For First Half Of 2008

We've been hearing a lot about a possible recession, but a new report from UCLA says we can still avoid a recession, even though housing, jobs, and consumer spending are all off.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=6013
992

or Link
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A panel of economists predicted Monday that there will be little U.S. economic growth in the first half of 2008. However, a pick up in growth was predicted for the second half of the year.

National Association for Business Economics also provided its first prediction for 2009. The organization projected that GDP will grow 2.9% over the course of the year.

For 2008, however, growth was predicted to be extremely slow, though a recession will likely be averted.

“U.S. economic growth is expected to slow to a crawl in the first half of 2008," said Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, NABE president and chief economist at Ford Motor Company.

She went on to say, "while a slight majority of our panel of forecasters expects the economy to avoid a recession in 2008, growth is expected to average just ¾% before accelerating in the second half in response to fiscal and monetary stimulus.”

Survey: Warm Springs Retail (multiple answers) + Wam Springs

BART On-Call Community Relations Team answer my questions:

1) Is Warm Springs Bart Station are going to happened?
Yes, pending full funding for the Warm Springs project the
Warm Springs BART Station will be constructed by 2013.

2) Yes, the project has received $2 million from the Alameda
County Congestion Management Authority.

3) The project team is working with the City of Fremont to
restart the Warm Springs Station area specific planning process.
The planning process will examine various development scenarios
in the one-half mile radius around the planned station.
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Warm Springs Bart Station Area Survey: Retail
This is multiple answers

What kind of shopping center do you want to have in Warm Spring
Bart Area near Warm Springs Bart Station?

(Example)
Lifestyle center
Shopping Center
Regional malls Yes
Enclosed retail structures Yes
Open-air retail complexes
One-stories shopping center
Two-stories shopping center Yes
Pacific Commons or Fremont Hub
Apparel Yes
Movies Theater Yes
Department Store Yes
Big-box store
Simon Property
General Growth
Westfield Yes
None

The Result will be posted next month.

State of the City + Fremont named 'greenest' cities

Chamber hosts State of the City 2008 on Monday, March 31

The Fremont Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present the State of the City 2008 on Monday, March 31 10 from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Fremont Marriott Hotel. Mayor Bob Wasserman will discuss our City’s economic development and large scale projects, recap the budget and fiscal state of the city, report progress on the General Plan, and address other important issues facing our city.

The State of the City event will also serve as the Chamber’s annual meeting where we will install our officers and directors as well as offer a salute to Chamber volunteers for their work and dedication.

Registration for the event begins at 11:30 a.m. and lunch is included. Tickets are $40 for Chamber members and $60 for non-members. Tickets are expected to sell quickly, so purchase them in advance by calling the Chamber office at (510) 795-2244 or visiting www.fremontbusiness.com.

Sponsorship opportunities are available at $700 for table sponsorship and $1,200 for event sponsorships. Sponsorship packages include various forms of recognition at the event and in advertising for the event.

For more details, contact Nina Moore at (510) 795-2244 x107 or nmoore@fremontbusiness.com.

Visit the Chamber's calendar page to get weather info, print driving directions and register online.

For more information:
Visit Fremont Chamber
Email: nmoore@fremontbusiness.com

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Who's the greenest of them all? If a new national survey is any indication, it's the Bay Area.

San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley made the top 10 of a national survey by Popular Science magazine rating the country's 50 most environmentally friendly cities. Concord and Fremont made the top 50 (numbers 43 and 44, respectively), as did 13 California cities — enough to turn other states green with envy.

The survey combined data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society's Green Guide, which collected survey data and government statistics for American cities with more than 100,000 people in categories including air quality, electricity use and transportation habits.

Portland, Ore., grabbed the top spot, while San Francisco ranked

No. 2.

California dominated the survey, with 13 cities on the list. New York came in second, with four cities on the list.

"I'm not surprised," said Sean Randolph, chief executive of the San Francisco-based Bay Area Council Economic Institute. "California has always been more environmentally attuned than other states, and the Bay Area has always been the most environmentally attuned region in the state.

"It's brought a lot of money into the Bay Area," Randolph said. "The Bay Area attracted about a billion dollars last year for research in alternative energy technology."

As examples, Randolph pointed to a $500 million grant from BP Oil for developing biofuels given to University of California, $125 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to UC Berkeley and other entities. Venture capital money invested in "green" technology is another example, he said. Berkeley, as well as a

"The Bay Area's cities scored high largely because our investments in public transit enable more of us to get around without driving, creating far less unhealthy pollution," said Emily Rusch, an advocate with California Public Interest Research Group.

On a 1-to-10 scale, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley each scored 8 or more for widespread public transportation and air quality. AC Transit's fleet of three hydrogen buses took the spotlight in an accompanying case study of how green cities got that way.

"This designation reflects Oakland's commitment to be a sustainable model city," Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said. "Through the tremendous dedication and efforts of community partners and city government working together, we are advancing efforts to curb global climate change and oil dependence, reach our zero-waste goal, and become a leader in 'green' jobs creation."

The survey gave points to cities for the number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as their recycling programs. Cities also scored points for getting their electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric power, as well as for offering incentives for residents to invest in their own power sources, such as solar roofs.

California has a head start in this area, having passed legislation in 2004 and 2006 aimed at creating one million solar roofs in the state by 2018. Also, utilities such as PG&E are under a mandate to get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2010. And Assembly Bill 32, passed in 2006, aims to slash state greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

Like Randolph, Adam Gottlieb of the California Energy Commission wasn't surprised by the news.

"Popular Science has acknowledged what we've known all along," Gottlieb said. "We're (California) bold, we're daring, we're innovative. Let's tell Portland to watch its back, because we're gaining on it."

Fremont Water Park: February 2008 Construction

Photobucket Album

Fremont Water Park: November 2007 Construction

Photobucket Album

Newswrap 2/27/08

Retail and Restaurants
Interest by retailers and restaurants remains strong in Fremont and 2008 promises to add new shopping and dining opportunities.

A number of new restaurants have recently opened in Fremont:

Santa Fe Mexican Restaurant in the Northport Center

.

Federico's at the Fremont Plaza

.

Carino's Italian Grill at Pacific Commons

Watch for more restaurants coming soon to Pacific Commons, which will include Asian Pearl, a second location for Applebee's Neighborhood Grill, Prolific Oven, and Dickey's Barbeque.

Additional retail projects that are in the planning or construction stage include:

The Globe, an international retail center located just off of Interstate 880 at Stevenson Boulevard.

Bayside Marketplace, a regional shopping center at the intersection of I-880 and Dixon Landing Road.

Stevenson Row, a neighborhood commercial center, located at the intersection of Liberty Street and Stevenson Boulevard.

Economic Development Highlights Report Available
Interested in learning what the City's Office of Economic Development was up to last year? Check out our Economic Development Highlights. This report highlights the past year's progress and accomplishments on key initiatives carried out by Economic Development staff. It also identifies new and continuing initiatives for 2008.
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The King & Lyons project, Bayside Marketplace, is designed as a regional
shopping center, similar to Pacific Commons.  The proposed tenant uses include
big box and jr. anchors in the apparel, sporting goods and home and garden categories
along with a number of casual, family style restaurants. 

* Target
* T.G.I. Friday's
* Sporting goods
* Lane Bryant